Dispensers of sheet products in roll form are simple and reliable because the rolls are easy to load and very difficult to overload or overstuff. However, products in roll form present some dispensing problems. A single roll dispenser with a nearly depleted roll must be monitored carefully by maintenance personnel to avoid running out at an inconvenient moment. Changing a partially depleted roll results in wasted product. Moreover, some single roll dispensers are designed so a roll cannot be removed until it is depleted and only a core is left.
Dispensers have been designed to hold reserve rolls. However, these dispensers have disadvantages. They take up more space and can be subject to pilferage. Reserve roll dispensers may require mechanisms that can be relatively complex to provide access to the reserve roll. Such mechanism may be subject to jamming or failure. Reserve roll dispensers may also require some action by a user to access the reserve roll. This typically requires the user to touch or contact the body of the dispenser which may be, in some settings, less than desirable for aesthetic or hygienic reasons.
Devices that dispense single sheets of product are desirable because the can be refilled when only partially depleted. Since no reserve roll is present, the devices are less prone to pilferage. Single sheet dispensers are also desirable because they tend to be simple devices that are not subject to jamming or failure. Devices that dispense folded sheet products are particularly desirable if the products can be dispensed continuously, reliably and can be accessed without touching the dispenser.
A major disadvantage of folded sheet dispensers is that they can be overloaded or overfilled. Overfilling the dispenser can create pressure against the stack of sheets that makes it very difficult to remove a sheet from the dispenser. For example, the pressure against the stack may prevent a "tab" end of the sheet from becoming accessible preventing a user from having a portion of the sheet to grasp in order to withdraw it. The stack of sheets may be wedged in the dispenser so firmly that the portion of the sheet grasped by the user simply tears instead of dispensing a single sheet. Friction against the dispensing opening may be increased by overfilling the dispenser making dispensing unreliable and problematic.
Another problem associated with folded sheet dispensers is encountered when a new stack or clip of interfolded sheets is loaded in the dispenser on top of a partially depleted stack or clip of interfolded sheets. While the sheets in each stack may be interfolded, the last sheet of the partially depleted stack and the first sheet of the new stack are not interfolded. When the first sheet of the new stack reaches the dispensing position the leading edge or "tab" end of the sheet may be difficult for a user to grasp because it was not interfolded and drawn out by the previous sheet to form a tail at the dispensing opening.
In view of the above, a need exists for a system to prevent the overloading or overfilling of single sheet or interfolded sheet dispensers. A need also exists for such an overfill prevention system that is difficult to override or thwart.
There is also a need for a system to improve the dispensing of single sheet or interfolded sheet dispensers which addresses the problem encountered with starting a new stack or clip of sheets in such dispensers or when product is misaligned in a dispenser or when a "tab" end or tail is not accessible. A need exists for a system to provide an improved dispensing geometry as part of an overfill prevention system.
Meeting these needs are important because it is highly desirable to improve the operation of folded sheet dispensers to provide high capacity "no touch" dispensing. Meeting these needs would provide the positive benefits of creating systems that improve the reliability of folded sheet dispensers so the many advantages of such dispensers may be fully exploited.